Automatic ice making machine

ABSTRACT

An automatic ice making machine stably injects water to be frozen to freezing cells to produce high-quality ice pieces which are uniform in shape and size, and has a freezing section defining a plurality of freezing cells opening downward and arranged horizontally, and a water tank located under the freezing section. A water spraying member tilted at a predetermined angle in the flow direction is disposed on the water tank, and a plurality of nozzles protrude from the upper surface of a distributor pipe constituting the member. The water to be frozen supplied to the water spraying member by a water circulation pump is adapted to be injected into each freezing cell through a water injection hole of each nozzle under the same pressure. Further, the water to be frozen injected from each water injection hole diagonally forward is designed to be supplied to an opposed freezing cell.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic ice making machine, which injects water to be frozen from a lower position into a plurality of freezing cells opening downward and produces an ice piece in each freezing cell.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

[0002] An injection-type automatic ice making machine, which performs freezing of water to be frozen in a plurality of freezing cells opening downward and continuously produces a plurality of ice pieces (for example, ice cubes) has been preferably employed in facilities of coffee shops and restaurants and kitchens. The schematic configuration of this automatic ice making machine will be described. In this ice making machine, a freezing section in which a plurality of freezing cells opening downward are defined, is arranged horizontally at a predetermined position of a rectangular housing forming an ice making machine body, and an evaporator led from a freezer located at a required position of the rectangular housing is zigzag-placed at the top surface of the freezing section so that it is positioned in the upper portion of each freezing cell in the freezing section. Further, a water tank for carrying therein water to be frozen is located at the lower portion of the freezing section with a predetermined space, a water circulating pump for circulating water to be frozen during a freezing operation is connected to the water tank, and a water spraying member for injecting water to be frozen toward the freezing section is connected. This water spraying member is diagonally disposed at a predetermined angle, and on the upper surface of the water spraying member, water injection holes each having a small diameter are provided in accordance with the respective freezing cells, so that the water to be frozen is vertically injected toward substantially the central portion of each freezing cell under the action of the water circulating pump.

[0003] When the thus configured automatic ice making machine starts freezing operations, water to be frozen stored in the water tank is supplied to the water spraying member by the water circulating pump and is vertically supplied by injection from each water injection hole of the water spraying member into each freezing cell in the freezing section under a predetermined pressure. Further, a coolant (cooling medium) is supplied to the evaporator by the operation of the freezer, and the evaporator and freezing cell are heat-exchanged through the coolant so that they are cooled with lapse of time. Therefore, the water to be frozen injected from the water spraying member is cooled by contact with this freezing cell and then it is sequentially frozen to form an ice piece in the freezing cell. Water that has not been frozen in the freezing cell (unfrozen water) drops onto the water spraying member and flows along the surface of the member to be returned to the water tank for circulating the water again.

[0004] When appropriate detecting means detects the completion of formation of the ice pieces, it stops the injection of water to be frozen from the water spraying member, and at the same time it changes the operation to the ice releasing operation in which hot gas is circulated and supplied to the evaporator by valve-switching of the freezer. When the freezing section is heated by the hot gas to raise the temperature, whereby the frozen portions between the inner wall surface of the freezing cell and the ice pieces are melted, the ice pieces drop by their own weight. Then, these ice pieces slide down onto the water spraying member to be stored in an ice chamber defined in the rectangular housing.

[0005] Since the water to be frozen is vertically injected from the water injection holes disposed in the water spraying member to the freezing cell, the unfrozen water that has not frozen in the freezing cell also vertically drops, whereby this unfrozen water and the water to be frozen injected from the water injection holes were sometimes interfered between them. In this case, the injection level of water to be frozen is changed and the injection of the water to be frozen to the freezing cell becomes unstable. Further, since the water spraying member is disposed in a tilting manner, the unfrozen water, which drops from the freezing cell onto the water spraying member, slantingly flows downward. In this case, since a large amount of unfrozen water drops onto the water spraying member, the water injection holes positioned slantingly downward are present in the flow of the unfrozen water. Accordingly, the injection level of the water to be frozen is changed and the injection supply of water to be frozen into the freezing cell becomes unstable. Then, when a stable injection of water to be frozen to each freezing cell is not supplied as described above, a problem occurs of the shape and size of ice pieces formed becoming irregular.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In view of the disadvantages involved in the automatic ice making machine, the present invention has been proposed to preferably solve the disadvantages. The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic ice making machine that can produce high-quality ice pieces which are uniform in shape and size.

[0007] To solve the problem and attain the required object preferably, according to the present invention, an automatic ice making machine comprises a freezing section having a plurality of freezing cells opening downward and water spraying means located under the freezing section, water to be frozen injected from the water spraying means to each freezing cell being frozen to form an ice piece therein; wherein the water spraying means is disposed being tilted at a predetermined angle and is designed to inject water to be frozen diagonally toward the freezing cells from water injection holes defined to oppose the freezing cells respectively, interference prevention means is located between the adjacent water injection holes in a tilting direction in the water spraying means, so as to prevent unfrozen water which did not freeze in the freezing cells and dropped onto the water spraying means from interfering with the water to be frozen injected through the water injection holes located on the lower side.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view showing an automatic ice making machine according to a preferred example of the present invention;

[0009]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the principal portion of an automatic ice making machine according to an example of the present invention; and

[0010]FIG. 3 is a longitudinal side view showing a water spraying member according to another example of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Next, an automatic ice making machine according to the present invention will be described below referring to the attached drawings by using preferred examples.

[0012]FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of an automatic ice making machine according to an example of the present invention. In the automatic ice making machine, a freezing section 12 in which a plurality of freezing cells opening downward are defined is located horizontally in the upper part of the inside of an ice chamber (not shown) defined inside a rectangular housing not shown through a pair of brackets 14, 14 (refer to FIG. 2) spaced in a width direction. Further, on the top surface of the freezing section 12 is zigzag-disposed closely together an evaporator 16 led from a freezer not shown such that it is positioned at the upper portion of each freezing cell, and is formed so that compulsory cooling of each freezing cell 10 is performed during the freezing operations.

[0013] Between the brackets 14, 14 is located a water tank 18 that stores a predetermined amount of water to be frozen, with a predetermined gap spaced below the freezing section 12. Further, to the tank 18 of water to be frozen is connected a water circulation pump 20 for circulating water to be frozen during the freezing operation through an intake pipe 22, and at the same time a discharge pipe 24 connected to this water circulation pump 20 is connected to a water spraying member 26 used as water spraying means for injecting water to be frozen toward the freezing section 12.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the water spraying member 26 is located in the water tank in a tilting state downward at a predetermined angle such that it is directed from one (rear direction) of the front and rear directions orthogonal to the spacing direction (width direction) of the brackets 14, 14 toward the other (front direction). This water spraying member 26 is formed by mutual communication with and connection to a plurality of distributor pipes 28 that distribute water to be frozen supplied from the water circulation pump 20, and nozzles 30 of the number corresponding to the number of the freezing cells 10 defined in the freezing section 12 are protruded on the top surface of the pipes 28. Upon the freezing operation, water to be frozen supplied to the water spraying member 26 by the water circulation pump 20 is injected into each freezing cell 10 through the water injection hole 30 a of each nozzle 30 under the same pressure to produce a uniform ice piece in each freezing cell 10. It is noted that the water to be frozen injected diagonally upward the front side (being tilted lower side of the water spraying member 26) through each water injection hole 30 a is supplied to the corresponding freezing cell 10.

[0015] In the water spraying member 26, openings 32 opening up and down are each defined between the adjacent nozzles 30, 30 in a tilting direction as interference prevention means, and then the interference prevention means is configured such that it prevents the interference between unfrozen water dropping onto the top surface of the water spraying member 26 and water to be frozen injected from the water injection hole 30 a of the nozzle 30 on the tilting lower side. That is, by rapidly returning the unfrozen water falling on the top surface of the water spraying member 26 from the openings 32 to the tank 18 of water to be frozen, the flow of a large amount of unfrozen water to the tilting lower side along the water spraying member is prevented, so that the water injection holes 30 a positioned on the tilting lower side are formed so as not to be in the flow of the unfrozen water. It is noted that a plurality of drainage holes 34 each having a small diameter, which have no problem in the injection of water to be frozen through all the nozzles 30, are located on the front surface of the distributor pipe 28 positioned at the tilting lower end of the water spraying member 26.

[0016] Between the freezing section 12 and the water spraying member 26 is provided an ice piece guide plate 38 through a plurality of support bars 36 disposed between the brackets 14 and 14 such that the guide plate is tilted at a predetermined angle in the same direction as the tilting direction of the water spraying member 26. This ice piece guide plate 38 is provided with openings 38 a, which allow the passing of water to be frozen injected from each nozzle 30 of the water spraying member 26.

[0017] A front guide 40 is located between the front ends of the brackets 14, 14 (lower end sides of the tilted ice piece guide plate 38) and above the ice piece guide plate 38, and a plurality of separators 42 are suspended from the lower part of the guide 40 in plural rows in the width direction to be rotatable respectively. These separators 42 are suspended such that their lower ends are positioned ahead of the front end face of the ice piece guide plate 38 and at substantially the same level as the lower end of the front end face of the ice piece guide plate 38, and are designed to prevent splashing of unfrozen water flowing down along the upper surface of the ice piece guide plate 38 into the ice chamber. Further, the number of separators 42 is designed to be the same as that of the crosswise rows of the freezing cells 10 defined in the freezing section 12, so that each ice piece, which has been released from the freezing cell 10 upon the ice releasing operation and dropped onto the ice piece guide plate 38, is discharged out to the ice chamber while rotating each separator 42.

OPERATION OF EXAMPLE

[0018] Next, the operations (actions or effects) of an automatic ice making machine according to an Example will be described below. When the freezing (ice-making) operation of the automatic ice making machine is started, water to be frozen stored in the tank 18 of water to be frozen (water tank) is distributed into each distributor pipe 28 in the water spraying member 26 through the water circulation pump 20, and the water to be frozen slantingly injected from the water injection hole 30 a of each nozzle 30 in the distributor pipe 28 is supplied to the corresponding freezing cell 10 through the opening 38 a in the ice piece guide plate 38 under a predetermined pressure as shown in FIG. 1. Since the freezing cell 10 is cooled by a coolant supplied from the freezer to the evaporator 16, the water to be frozen is brought into contact with an inner wall of the freezing cell 10 to be cooled, and at the same time unfrozen water that is not frozen in the freezing cell 10 is returned to the tank 18 of water to be frozen through the openings 38 a of the ice piece guide plate 38 and the openings 32 of the water spraying member 26. It is noted that the separators 42 are designed to prevent splashing of unfrozen water flowing down along the upper surface of the ice piece guide plate 38 into the ice chamber.

[0019] Since water to be frozen is injected diagonally from the water injection hole 30 a of each nozzle 30 to the freezing cell 10 during the freezing operation, the unfrozen water, which drops without being frozen in the freezing cell is suppressed from being interfered with the water to be frozen injected from the water injection holes 30 a, and the change in the injection level is prevented. Further, the unfrozen water dropping onto the upper surface of the water spraying member 26 flows toward a tilting downward side of the water spraying member 26. However, since the opening 32 is defined between the adjacent nozzles 30, 30 in a tilt direction, the unfrozen water is rapidly recovered in the water tank 18 through the opening 32. That is, even though a large amount of unfrozen water drops onto the upper surface of the water spraying member 26 and flows in the tilting downward side, no flow that covers the water injection hole 30 a of nozzle 30 on the tilting downward side, is not generated and the change in injection level of water to be frozen injected from the water injection hole 30 a can be prevented. Therefore, the water to be frozen is stably supplied to each freezing cell 10 defined in the freezing section 12, so that high-quality ice pieces which are uniform in shape and size are formed. Since the nozzles 30 are each protruded from the upper surface of the distributor pipe 28, the positioning of the water injection hole 30 a within the flow of unfrozen water is prevented by the nozzle itself so that the interference between the water to be frozen being injected and the unfrozen water can be suppressed. That is, the nozzle itself also functions as an interference prevention means.

[0020] With an advance of the freezing operation, a part of water to be frozen starts freezing at an inner wall surface of the freezing cell 10, resulting in the formation of dense ice pieces. Then, when the completion of freezing operation is detected with appropriate detecting means, a hot gas is supplied to the evaporator 16 by valve switching in the freezer and transferring to an ice releasing operation in which the freezing section 12 is heated is carried out. When a frozen surface between each freezing cell 10 and ice pieces are melted by the continuous freezing operation, the ice pieces are released from the freezing cell 10 and drop by their own weight. These ice pieces slide on the ice piece guide plate 38 and are discharged into the ice chamber to be stored therein while rotating the separators 42.

[0021] It is noted that water to be frozen remaining within the water spraying member 26 upon the transfer to the ice releasing operation from the freezing operation, is naturally recovered to the water tank 18 through the drainage hole 34. That is, water scales which are liable to be adhered onto the internal portion of the member 26, caused by the remaining of the water to be frozen within the water spraying member 26 for a long time, can be prevented. Alternatively, in the production of ice pieces in a factory, a draining operation of water to be frozen in the water spraying member can be omitted.

[0022] In this example, the case where nozzles are provided protrusively on the upper surface of the distributor pipe forming the water spraying member has been explained. However, as shown in FIG. 3, a configuration in which water injection holes 28 a are provided on the upper surface of the distributor pipe forming the water spraying member can be also adopted. With such configuration the formation of the opening 32 between the adjacent water injection holes 28 a, 28 a in a tilting direction of the water spraying member 26 can prevent the change of injecting height or level of water by unfrozen water which dropped onto the upper surface of the water spraying member 26. Further, water spraying means can be adopted in which a plurality of pipes extending in a width direction are disposed with a space in the front and rear direction (tilting direction) with a plurality of water injection holes provided, and the pipes are zigzag-disposed by mutually connecting to the ends of the pipes spaced therebetween in the front and rear direction. Even in this case, since a space used as interference prevention means opened up or down for recovering unfrozen water to the water tank, is defined between the respective pipes, the interference between freezing water injected from the water injection hole provided in each pipe and unfrozen water can be prevented. Note that the interference prevention means is not limited to the opening as in this example and a member such as a dam plate and a deflector, which changes the flow of the unfrozen water directed to the water injection holes may be used.

[0023] As explained above, the automatic ice making machine according to the present invention is configured such that it diagonally injects water to be frozen to the freezing cell. Thus, the change in the injecting level due to the interference between unfrozen water, which drops from the freezing cell and the water to be frozen being injected, is prevented so that a stable injection of water to be frozen can be attained. Further, interference prevention means that restricts the flow of unfrozen water, which dropped onto the water spraying means on a tilting lower side, is provided. Accordingly, the interference between unfrozen water flowing on the water spraying means and water to be frozen injected through the water injection holes is prevented so that a stable injection of water to be frozen can be attained. That is, a stable injection of the water to be frozen to each freezing cell can be attained and high-quality ice pieces which are uniform in shape and size can be formed. 

1. An automatic ice making machine comprising a freezing section having a plurality of freezing cells opening downward and water spraying means located under the freezing section; water to be frozen injected from the water spraying means to each freezing cell being frozen to from an ice piece therein; wherein said water spraying means is disposed being tilted at a predetermined angle and is designed to inject water to be frozen diagonally toward the freezing cells from water injection holes defined to oppose the freezing cells respectively, and an interference prevention means is located between the adjacent water injection holes in a tilting direction in said water spraying means, so as to prevent unfrozen water, which did not freeze in said freezing cells and dropped onto the water spraying means, from interfering with the water to be frozen injected though the water injection holes located on the lower side, said interference prevention means being defined by an opening provided in said water spraying means and opened upward and downward. 2 (canceled). 